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The Huntland Middle School Hornets beat the Summertown Eagles 36-32 on the road Saturday in a quarterfinal game for the Section 3A tournament.

The Hornets led by as many as 11 points in the second half and held off multiple rally attempts in the fourth quarter to keep their season alive and advance to the sectional semifinals.

The teams traded the lead a few times in the opening period, and a 3-pointer from Luke Yarbrough with about a minute left in the quarter gave the Hornets an advantage for the rest of the period.

They led 13-12 after one quarter.

The Hornets started the second quarter with a 10-2 run to create some separation before a brief run of five straight points by the Eagles made it a two-possession game.

Huntland led 23-19 at halftime.

The third quarter had a similar outcome as the Hornets briefly took a double-digit lead by scoring seven straight points to start the half with the Eagles then scoring five straight to trim the deficit back down.

Huntland led 30-24 going into the final period.

The Eagles made it a one-possession game at four different points in the fourth quarter and had the ball with chances to tie the score, but the Hornets tightened up on defense each time to stay ahead and held on to win by four.

Ellis Stewart led the Hornets with 14 points for the game, followed by Micah Tipps with eight points and Julius Miller with seven.

Bryant Mooney scored four points and Luke Yarbrough scored three.

With the win, the Hornets improved to 22-2 on the season.

They will next play Monday against Eagleville Middle School at Lincoln County High School in a semifinal game for the Section 3A tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.